Still here….

To say I’ve been busy lately would be an understatement. Writing has fallen by the wayside, although I am still poking at The Hawk, chapters being revised when I get a moment. Sewing too has dropped off, but I do have a new quilt wall upon which to design.

A project for my husband, who likes to sleep with a little extra something over his shoulders. One of my fave pieces, and I get to see it every day.

I don’t think I’ve been so set apart from writing since I began this adventure over ten years ago. Well, maybe this is the perfect time to denote the alterations. Ten years ago this month my family moved back to America after nearly eleven years spent in North Yorkshire, England.

I didn’t make this tree skirt, but finished it up for my eldest daughter; I should have used flannel for the batting, but it will be comfy for Buttercup come December, until presents obscure it, ha ha.

Right now my eldest and her family are moving house, while my youngest pines for her beloved, who is on an internship back east until June. My middle child, who moved out last summer, is swimming right along, for which my husband and I are grateful. Enough upheaval with that chap’s two sisters for the time being.

New quilt wall! In what used to be our son’s room is now where I can plot out big projects.

But if I take a minute to reflect on all that was happening a decade ago, perhaps that is the last time I felt swept up in massive change. Not even when The Burrito was born two years ago compares, or that my father died right afterwards. And if that sounds strange, all I can say is the activities which overtook me then weren’t as physically taxing as what my life has been like lately. More emotionally draining, yes, however in getting older, maybe I weather the heart storms better than before. Bustling action feels more wearying.

This particular quilt is a remake of one I did in 2014; I had many of the florals, cutting new solids.

If nothing else, the last few weeks are more comparable to what occurred as we left Great Britain, or maybe the notion of moving makes it seem so. Living vicariously just a little through my kids, I recall how that relocation acted like a demarcation, although I had no clue how clearly the lines would fall.

Nearly completed….

A homeschooling ex-pat mum was about to become a writer, just like how two years ago I went from a writer to grandma. Whoa, dude….

It mostly looks like this; after visits by Little Miss, The Burrito, and Buttercup, some squares ended up on the floor, then were put back relatively as in this photo.

And now a quilter, when time permits, although family always comes first. Before I was an author or quilter, I was a mother. And for me, motherhood trumps most everything else.

A visit in February to Trinidad Head in Humboldt County; after days of rain, glorious sun shone!

But unlike how my daughters are hip-deep in toddlers, now motherhood beckons more in waves. Often the tide is low, but when it rises, whoo boy! Hold onto your hats and let the thrills carry you along.

More from Trinidad Head….

If I look back at the last ten years, pastimes have come and gone; no longer do I get to Capitola once a month to admire the beach, nor do I pound out first drafts like nobody’s business. I drive more now maybe, although as soon as my eldest is settled, I’ll be visiting her via public transport. And that too is good; I am getting older, and why use my car if it’s not necessary?

Maybe I don’t get to Capitola much now, but the ocean still calls to me; the Pacific from Trinidad Head.

How blessed is that scenario, alongside the fact that even if The Hawk isn’t done, I’m still plodding away at that manuscript. Ten years ago I hadn’t finished my first book, wasn’t sure if I would. Then we landed in Silicon Valley, and while in temporary housing, the words returned, words that I know will tumble when the time is right.

And lastly, the quilt from this morning; rows on the left have been sewn together, those on the top right are sewn, but not attached to each other, while the remaining squares need all of my attention. One of these days, I promise!

Quilts will be completed in a similar manner. Thankfully the fabric WIP has a safe place to rest while I’m otherwise engaged. In the meantime, time continues to tick, another ten years in America waiting to unfold….

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2 thoughts on “Still here….”

I do so appreciate such re-countings of one’s past number of years based upon a significant (dare I say: paradigm?) shift. Strangely, I am most alert to your tiny mention of middle-chap’s adjustment to life outside the nest…very reassuring to hear.
I’ll be dropping you an e-mail in the next week or so – been wanting to touch base. But for now, thanks for the update via the blog and it’s so nice to see your WIP’s including, but not limited to, your quilting endeavors!
😉
paradigmpeace